This invention relates to mud flap hanger apparatus for securement to a truck or other vehicle. More particularly, the hanger apparatus is of the spring loaded type.
Flap hangers on heavy duty trucks are exposed to significant abuse in service. Strikes by road debris, tangling with trailer components, or accidents all can result in bending or breaking of the hanger structure. Spring loaded mud flap hangers have been developed to resist this type of damage by allowing the hanger to flex when impacted.
Existing spring loaded flap hangers typically employ one or two large internal springs, which are disposed in the interior of a formed and welded sheet metal portion from which the mud flap hangs known as a shroud. These products are usually supplied to the customer with the spring or springs in a pretensioned condition. Conventionally, installed spring tensional forces typically are in the range of 3200 N to 3660 N. Normally, these springs are tensioned during manufacture by special machines and jigs.
All mechanical springs have elastic limits. A common problem during service is deflection of the flap hanger beyond the elastic limit of the spring or springs. This condition results in loss of tension, which in turn causes the hanger to become loose on the vehicle. The hanger may then allow the flap to contact the road surface or even become completely separated from the truck. Correcting this condition requires replacement of the spring or replacement of the entire hanger assembly, which can be several times the cost of the spring.
Unless the user invests several thousand dollars in special assembly equipment, these powerful springs, typically coil tension springs, must be tensioned by improvised methods. These include employing fence pullers, forklifts and the like with ropes or cables. It is also known to simply pull the springs into stretched condition by employing several persons. These methods not only can be dangerous, but carry the risk of over extending and ruining the spring on installation. These are labor intensive, expensive repairs regardless of the method used.
A search located the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,094,134, issued Apr. 21, 1914; U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,092, issued Aug. 21, 1979, U.S. Pat. No. 4,541,646, issued Sep. 17, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,816, issued Aug. 15, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,254, issued Nov. 10, 1998, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,901, issued Jan. 27, 1976.
These patents do not disclose or suggest the invention disclosed and claimed herein.
The present invention relates to spring loaded mud flap hanger apparatus for a vehicle which allows spring replacement and tensioning to be readily accomplished. Installation of the hanger system of the present invention is inherently safer than is the case with respect to prior art spring loaded systems. The spring cannot be over-extended during installation.
The mud flap hanger apparatus of the present invention allows the use of tension springs having either partially open or completely closed end loops, the latter reducing the possibility of total loss of the hanger in service. Prior art assemblies require use of springs having end loops with gaps formed therein for installation.
The mud flap hanger apparatus of the present invention is for securement to a truck or other vehicle.
The apparatus includes a mud flap support member having an attachment end and a distal end spaced from the attachment end.
A tension spring having first and second ends is attached at the first end thereof to the mud flap support member at a location spaced from said attachment end.
A connector is connected to the second end of the tension spring and includes a threaded connector portion projecting outwardly from the attachment end of the mud flap support member.
A tension adjustment member is threadedly engaged with the outwardly projecting threaded connector portion and is cooperable with the connector and the mud flap support member to tension the tension spring from a location external of the mud flap support member.
Securement means is provided for securing the mud flap hanger apparatus to a vehicle.
Other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings.